Sharks put an end to Springfield’s postseason dream

The Springfield Falcons came to town yesterday fighting for a playoff berth but left on the outside of the postseason looking in after the Sharks posted a 4-2 victory at the DCU Center.

Worcester’s postseason hopes officially ended Wednesday with a loss at Springfield, so the Sharks certainly had some motivation to return the favor.

“This was a high-tempo game,” Sharks coach Roy Sommer said. “They are a desperate team. They were in survival mode. We came out with a lot of energy.”

And despite missing the playoffs, Worcester had something to play for as well.

“That was one of the hardest games we’ve played in a while,” Sharks center Mike Iggulden said. “We love what we do. We take pride in what we do.”

Iggulden scored the winning goal on a power play at 9:13 of the third period, taking a dropback pass from forward Graham Mink on the left side, skating around a defender and unleashing a vicious wrister into the upper right corner from just inside the faceoff circle.

It was his team-leading 27th goal of the season.

“The young guys were good, but it was the big guys who did it tonight,” Sommer said. “Iggy, Mink, those guys got it done.”

Iggulden’s goal came just 2:38 after the Sharks lost the 2-1 lead they had held since Brad Staubitz ripped home the go-ahead goal, his fifth, on a slap shot from just inside the blue line with just over five minutes left in the first period, a power-play goal.

“We stayed positive on the bench,” Iggulden said about the Falcons’ Rob Schremp’s tying goal that came just 9 seconds into a power play after Staubitz was called for hooking. “We knew if we kept playing the way we were playing that good things would happen.”

Springfield was lucky to be in a position to tie the game. After the Falcons took a 1-0 lead on forward Grant Potulny’s team-leading 28th goal at 1:42 of the first, the Sharks played more like the team still alive for the playoffs, controlling the puck at both ends on their way to outshooting Springfield, 17-10, in the opening period.

One of those shots turned into one of the easiest goals Worcester has scored this season. T.J. Fox outfoxed Springfield’s Jeff Deslauriers during a Falcons power play, stealing the goalie’s attempted clear to Falcon defenseman T.J. Kemp. Fox had about 30 feet of open ice and a wide-open net and easily buried the short-handed chance for his 12th goal of the season, tying the score at 1-1.

“We finally got a gift,” Sommer said. “(Fox) was hiding behind the defense. The goalie didn’t see him. It’s nice to have one of those go our way.”

The Sharks exerted the same effort in the second period, outshooting Springfield, 15-3, the three shots against tying a Falcons season low.

The Sharks were unable to build on the lead, letting the Falcons hang around for the final period.

Tom Cavanagh was back for the Sharks after a brief appearance Thursday for San Jose in Los Angeles, where he picked up an assist on Joe Thornton’s goal 36 seconds into the game. He picked up two assists yesterday and now has recorded an assist in his last eight games, including the one on Thursday against the Kings.

Mink gave Worcester the two-goal lead it was searching for most of the night when he carried the puck through and around several defenders on his way to finding some open space directly in front of the net, where he wristed home his 24th goal of the year.

Springfield, which needed to run the table and have Manchester lose all its remaining games to sneak into the last spot, pulled Deslauriers with just over three minutes left, but the Sharks’ Thomas Griess came up with the saves when needed.